Content Management Systems

Content Management Systems (CMS) are the latest fashion in web site design, and many commercial web sites are now produced using a CMS. So, if CMS is the 'New Black', what is all the fuss about, and is a CMS the right solution for my company's web site?

So what is a Content Management System?

Content Management Systems separate the design of the appearance of a web site from its content. The overall look and feel of the site is defined using a template. The actual content of the site - the text, Acrobat documents, images and so on - is stored in a database.

CMS sites usually consist of web page(s) that contain normal HTML plus content written in a programming language called PHP that interfaces with the underlying mySQL database.

Because Content Management Systems keep the content and code running a site apart, changes to the site's content can be made by people with little or no experience of web design. If you can use a word processor, you can make changes to your web site. Our CMS sites are administered though an easy to use interface that you access through your web browser.

Is a CMS right for me?

A Content Management System may be the right solution for you if you can answer 'yes' to most of the following statements:

• My site content will change on a daily or weekly basis
• My site will contain dozens of pages
• I want users to be able to search for items
• I would like users to be able to post their comments on the site
• I would like users to register on the site to view some pages or to receive e-newsletters
• Production of site content would be shared among several people at my company
• I am planning a large ecommerce site with hundreds of items
• I want to make all changes to my web site content myself

However, if you are planning a small web site to establish a web presence and don't plan to make frequent changes to its structure or content, using a CMS would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! Content Management Systems do have their downside - such systems are more complex to set up than conventional web pages, they are not particularly flexible if you want a visually appealing site and you would possibly need to rent SQL space from your Internet Service Provider to host your database.

Our Content Management Solutions

Our Content Management System web sites are based on the open-source Mambo (recently relaunched as Joomla!)® system. After trialling many such packages, we have adopted Mambo/Joomla because it has an exceptionally easy to use 'back end' administration module for our customers to use, it is mature, stable, secure, well supported and has many add - on modules to provide things like ecommerce to sites. A further point in Mambo/Joomla's favour is that it uses the robust PHP and mySQL duo, supported by the vast majority of web servers: these use the Linux operating system and Apache Web Server.

If, after discussions with us, the best solution for you is a Content Management System, our service includes:

• Production of a custom site template, style sheet and header graphic
• Design of your site structure and menu system
• Insertion of your initial site content - text, graphics etc.
• Upload of your site to your web space and configuration of your CMS and database
• Optional hosting of your web site in our server space at Skynet
• Training in the use of the administration module
• Ongoing support for your company web site at our normal hourly fee

If you would like to have an informal discussion about your requirements, do contact us.